Who can write product reviews?
Any registered Ciao member can write product reviews. The only prerequisite
for writing reviews is real knowledge and experience of the product in question:
please do not write reviews on the basis of things that you have read elsewhere or
heard second-hand; users turn to reviews to hear the opinion of somebody who has
already used the product so please draw on your own experiences and not hearsay.
If you are not yet a Ciao member, you can
register here.
How do I write a standard product review?
Once you have found the product which you would like to review, either by clicking
through the categories and sub-categories, or using the search function, you can
click on the "Write a review" link next to the picture of the product which will take
you directly to the review-writing page. If you are
not already logged in, you will then be presented with a log-in form, which you must
fill out before you can continue. Otherwise, you will land directly on the
review-writing page. Follow the instructions on screen and remember to give
the product a star rating before submitting the review.
How do I write a "quick review"?
Instead of clicking on the "Write a review" link you can also use the star system next
to the picture the product to rate the product. This will open another box where you can
enter your "quick review". Just follow the instructions on the screen. You can update your
"quick review" any time later to a standard review if you wish.
Are there any requirements that my review must
fulfil?
Your standard review must be at least 120 words long and should aim to give readers
an idea of what the product in question is like to use on a day-to-day basis.
Your review should therefore cover a range of different aspects and features
that you consider to be important, and try to provide a balanced product
evaluation. Try to write in a factual, clear and well-structured way and
use accurate grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation. For legal
reasons, you may NOT mention the names of any other persons involved in the
events you describe. "Quick reviews" must be at least 20 words long but can not have more than 150 words.
Can I change a "quick review" into a standard review?
Yes. To do so, click on "Edit review" at the product page or in your list of reviews at the
"My Ciao" page. Before saving it as a standard review you have to meet the minimum requirement
of 120 words and fill out all the other fields.
Can I save an unfinished review and return
to it later?
Yes. To do so, click on the "Save draft" button at the end of the review form.
When you next log in, you will find a list of your draft reviews, together
with the reviews that you have already published on the website, under the
"Reviews" tab. To continue working on a review, simply click on the
“Edit draft” button next to it.
Can I write a review of a product or service
that isn't listed on Ciao?
No, you can only write reviews of products that are listed in the Ciao
product categories. However, should you wish to review a product which
is not in the list, you can always propose that it be added to the
catalogue. In each category, underneath the product selection, you
will find a "Product not found?" link. You can even include a picture
of the recommended product along with your proposal. This should be
sent as a JPEG file, 200 x 200 pixels large. The file size should not
exceed 10KB. We will process your request as soon as possible, though
we cannot guarantee that we will introduce the product that you propose
into the product catalogue.
Can I write more than one review about the
same product?
No, it is only possible to write one review per product/service. If you
attempt to write a second review of the same product, you will automatically
be invited to edit your existing review rather than write a new one. You
can then correct or update your review. If you click the "Send" button,
your old review will automatically be replaced.
Can I use HTML formatting in my review?
No, in the interests of maintaining a consistent format for all reviews,
it is not possible to enhance the appearance of your review using HTML.
HTML formatting is only possible in your personal member profile.
Does Ciao censor members' product reviews?
We have a strict policy of non-censorship: we believe that every consumer is
entitled to his/her own opinion on a product or service and we will not alter
reviews if we, or the product manufacturer in question, does not agree with
the author's opinion. However, we cannot tolerate the abusive use of the
review facility, as a means of publishing offensive or unlawful content.
Any such reviews will be removed, and their author's account blocked.
When a company contacts us claiming that a review contains factual
errors, defamatory statements, or other legally questionable material,
we have to make a judgement call to ensure the integrity of our website
content.
Should you find any examples of abusive reviews on the site, please report them.
Can I edit or delete my review later?
You may edit a review which has already been published on the website, but
you cannot delete the review altogether. To edit your review, locate, and
click to open it. Then click on the "Edit review" link. Please be careful
when making changes: any parts of the text that you delete cannot be
retrieved later. Because of our cash and community point reward system,
you may not, however, delete your reviews altogether. We will only remove
a review if it has been placed in the wrong category, submitted numerous
times, or if it breaches our Terms and Conditions. Please report any
reviews of this type which you find on our
Reporting Abuse pages.
How will Ciao use my review?
Your reviews will not be sold on. It is possible, however, that we may
authorise one of our partners to use your review but, in this case, we
guarantee that we will not pass on your personal data, unless legally
obliged to do so.
Do my reviews have to be critical?
The best reviews are neither entirely positive nor negative: they present
a balanced view and evaluate both good and bad aspects of a product.
Please do not "sensationalise" your experiences using the product to
obtain more reads for your review: the reviews that are most appreciated
by other members are those which provide useful, real information that
helps them to decide which product to buy.
How do I rate a product?
You can rate products only when you write a product review. To do this,
click on the "write a review" link or click on the star to rate a product directly.
When you have filled in your review
text, simply select options from the pull-down menus and click on the
radio buttons to rate the product in detail. Your qualitative rating will then be
translated into a numerical score which is averaged to produce an overall
member rating.
Can I see a list of the reviews I have written?
Yes. After logging in, go to the "My Ciao" area and click on the "Reviews"
tab. Here you will see a list containing both your published and unpublished
reviews as well as statistics concerning the date they were submitted,
the number of comments that have been written about them and the ratings
that they have received from other members.
Can I see a list of the reviews another member has written?
Yes. To do so, simply log in and click on the link to your "My Ciao" area.
On the top right-hand side of the page, you will see a "Find member" link.
Click here, and then enter the details of the member in question.
Select the right name from the "Search results" page and click on the
link to enter his/her user area. Here, you will be able to see a list
of all of the reviews that (s)he has published under the "Reviews" tab,
consult his/her "Personal Homepage" and view the names of all the members
who belong to his/her "Circle of Trust".
What should I take into account when writing my review?
Your review should contain your own opinions and experiences, and describe
these in an interesting and realistic way. It should not be copied from an
internal or external source and any quotations must be acknowledged.
Plagiarising from other authors will result in your Ciao account being
blocked and all of your reviews removed from the website. Your review
should be at least 120 words long and mention both good and bad points
about the product, as well as comparing it to other similar products, if
you have experience of them. "Quick reviews" only need to be 20 words long.
Keep in mind that your review is intended to help your readers make a shopping decision,
and consider the following questions:
· Why did you buy this product or use this service?
· What struck you as the best/worst aspects of the product?
· For whom, if anyone, would you recommend this product?
Try to remain objective and fair, concentrate on the most important points,
and structure your argument. You can find further tips in the
Guidelines for Review Writing.
Can I write my review offline?
Yes. This will not only help you to save money and avoid losing your text
due to the connection going down, as you need not be connected to the internet
the whole time you are writing, but it will also let you prepare your review
in a word processor with a spelling/grammar checker, thus helping you to avoid
mistakes. If you wish to write your review offline, simply prepare the text in
another programme, then connect to the internet and use cut and paste to enter
the text for your review into the requisite form.
I've submitted my review in the wrong category. What can I do?
Please send the link to your review, or its unique OpinionID, to info@ciao.co.uk.
We will then temporarily deactivate your review and offer you the chance to
resubmit it in the correct category. We can send you a copy of the review's
text upon request.
How long will it take before my review becomes visible?
Your review will be posted online immediately after you submit it. It will
initially be placed in the category you have selected and on the homepage as
a "Latest Review" until the next review should be submitted. Thereafter, it
will appear in the "20 most recent reviews" for a short time.
